Dead Soul, Shadow Heart
by TrueVampires
Summary: When the beautiful and unsuspecting Ruslana gets tangled up in the world of vampires, she finds herself in terrible danger. At the same time, she may also find herself falling for the ruthless, yet handsome vampire Eric Northman. Eric/OC.
1. A Vampire Introduction

**1**

Ruslana could hear the cicadas chirping as she stepped out of the steaming shower, wrapping herself in a lush towel. The night had come that she was to go out on the town. Caroline had asked her to come last weekend and Ruslana agreed as long as they steered clear of the very popular vampire bar called Fangtasia, which was down the road from the stables in which she worked. It would be the first time in nearly a month that she had gone out. She quite liked dancing, but since her breakup, nights out were few and far between.

She laid her clothes out on the bed. After nearly a half an hour of choosing, she decided on a purple, one-shoulder dress. She had never worn it before and was somewhat nervous about it. Her three year-old Weimaraner, Pete, was lying next to it with his grey head sitting on his front paws. Ruslana leaned down and gave him a kiss on the head. He let out a sigh and looked up at her with his round, grey eyes. He did hate it when she left him alone.

"Its alright, Petey," she said, running her hand down his back, "I will be home before you know it." Pete was a gift from Caroline about a year after her mother's death. He was intended to be a distraction from her being gone, and so he was. He was the sweetest and smartest dog anyone could have asked for and she was more that grateful to Caroline for giving him to her.

These days Ruslana was living alone in her parents' old home. Her brothers, both of them policemen, moved out a few years back. Ethan, the middle child, was a deputy in their hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. Cedric, the eldest, was a deputy in Baton Rouge. Their parents were both deceased. Their father, Benjamin Barnhardt, died when Ruslana was about five years old. She did not remember him well, but Cedric sure did. Their mother, Amber, fell ill with a terrible bout of the flu four years back and was unable to recover. Ruslana often missed her terribly, the only female mentor she had. Even after four years, it was hard to accept her death.

Her phone buzzed on her vanity. Still wrapped in a towel and her hair dripping, she walked over to the vanity to see who had sent her a text message. Of course it was Caroline, reminding her when she would come to pick her up. She set the phone back down and plugged in her hairdryer. She flipped her head over and began working the brush through her hair with one hand and maneuvering the hairdryer with the other.

Her hair was long, straight, and silky blonde. She was in love with it actually, though it was a bit of a pain sometimes. It took a good ten minutes before it was completely dry. She flicked her hair back over her shoulders, smelling her fresh shampoo as it went.

Very gingerly she applied her makeup. She put a thick line of eyeliner below her eyes and made a thin silvery grey line just above the lashes of her top eyelids. After applying her mascara she looked up to observe her work. The liner enhanced her large, blue-grey eyes. Finally she spread a layer of shiny, pale pink lip-gloss over her lips.

Ruslana was often complimented on her beauty, but she could not see it. She found herself to be quite ordinary and she was self-conscious about her freckles and her jaw, which she thought to be too square. On the other hand, she was confident with her body. Her figure resembled an hourglass and her belly and all of her extremities were toned. In particular she loved her long legs and her sculpted calves.

Glancing at the clock she threw her towel to the floor and pulled the purple dress over her shoulders. Sitting on the bed, she bent down and slipped on her black heals, buckling the strap around her ankles. She heard a honk outside her window. Caroline had arrived. She put in a pair of gold, chandelier earrings, grabbed her bag and ran down stairs. She gave Pete another kiss goodbye as her followed her down the steps, locked the door behind her and dashed to the passenger's side door.

"Damn, Liv!" Caroline said as Ruslana sat down. Liv was Ruslana's middle name. Mostly every one she knew called her by it, and for the most part, that was the way she liked it.

"You look dynamite, yourself," Ruslana said with a laugh.

"Thank you!" she answered, flipping her short brown hair to the side. They heard a howl come from the house. Ruslana saw Pete's head between the curtains in the living room.

"Poor boy," Caroline said sadly, "He should have a companion!"

Ruslana blew Pete a kiss and the two drove off. It took about fifteen minutes to get to downtown Shreveport. They had the windows of Caroline's blue mustang rolled down. The air was particularly fresh that night and they were thankful that it was not too humid. She stuck a heel out of the window, as she often liked to do. It was her comfortable car position, as she liked to call it.

On the way to the club they passed the bayou and the city park, which was home to large, bending oak trees. She used to play in the park as a child, climbing the trees every chance she got. Every so often she took Pete there to play fetch. Unfortunately he likes to jump in the pond after the swans, so the police were not too pleased with her there. She smiled, taking in the smell of the cool wind in her face through the open window.

The ride was quiet. Ruslana didn't like to talk much while in the car. She would rather spend the time thinking. At this moment she was thinking about how grateful she was that Caroline was not interested in taking her to Fangtasia. Neither of them had ever gone there and Ruslana kind of wanted to keep it that way. Caroline seemed a little more curious about the place. Ruslana had to walk by Fangtasia on her way to the bus stop after she left the stables, and those times were often at night.

Ruslana managed the Pelican Stables. The rich folks of Shreveport kept their horses their, many of which were Thoroughbreds for the race tracks. She gave riding lessons and made sure all of the horses were cared for. Sandra Perkins, the owner of the stables, let Ruslana keep her horse there for free. She sometimes brought Pete to the stables with her because he was surprisingly stoic around the horses. Ruslana's horse, Totem, was a white Warmblood with black around her big brown eyes. Totem had been a gift from her mother for her sixteenth birthday. She never would have dreamed that her wonderful mother would make one of her greatest wishes come true. A horse was popular on her annual Christmas list.

When Caroline pulled into the parking lot of the club, Ruslana put her leg down and rolled up her window. There was a line around the door, but Caroline knew the doorman.

"Come on, girl," Caroline said, "let's go have some fun!"

"Lets!" Ruslana said with a smile.

They fixed their dresses and walked up to the front door. The doorman smiled and waved at Caroline. She smiled back in a very flirtatious way and said, "Hey, Daniel!"

"Hey, Caroline," he replied with an even bigger smile, "How is your evening going?"

"Just excellent!" she said before kissing him on the cheek. The poor thing turned terribly pink and let us through. Caroline tended to lead men on, which was fine, but Ruslana had too big of a conscience.

The hip-hop music was pounding loudly as they entered. The air was warm and stale in the open room. If you wanted to see hundreds of sweaty people in a single place, then it was in a bar. Small towns were notorious for the abuse of drugs and alcohol, probably because there was not much to do. But this was Shreveport and the percentage of trashy folk was somewhat smaller.

Ruslana was growing more excited by the minute. She loved to hear the loud music. The rhythm commanded her body. She was in heaven. Dancing heaven. She and Caroline pushed their way into the center of the dance floor and began dancing with each other.

The two danced non-stop for nearly forty-five minutes before they began to get tired. Caroline offered to get the two of them drinks, so she walked off towards the bar. Ruslana continued to dance to the popular song that rang out over the crowd. She was getting hot and was looking forward to a break. After all, she preferred not to leave the place looking disgusting like most of the other people in the club.

Caroline returned shortly enough with two drinks in her hands. She motioned to the terrace and Ruslana followed her. The two walked outside the bar and sat down on the table nearest to the door. Ruslana set her drink down on the table. It was already sweating from the heat, and so was she. She pushed her hair to one side and took a sip from her glass. Feeling a summery breeze sweep over the terrace, Ruslana closed her eyes and smiled. There was nothing better that a cool breeze on a hot day, or night like it was then.

Caroline gave a hard nudge to her arm. Snapping out of her calm breeze trance, Ruslana turned to her friend.

"What is it?" she asked, wondering why she had been nudged so damn hard.

"There is the hunkiest guy sitting over by the railing. Damn. He is the one with the blonde hair. He has been staring at you," Caroline replied, being careful not to look at him as she said it.

Ruslana looked in the direction Caroline mentioned and searched for the man. It did not take her long to discover whom she spoke of. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark, expensive jeans that fit him quite well. His features were striking and he was staring at her with big blue eyes. Ruslana looked away, feeling herself blush hard. A flushed redhead was sitting sloppily on his lap. He did not seem too fond of her being there and he pushed her off of his lap with incredible ease. She came back over to him and leaned down close to his face. Ruslana could see the blonde-haired man's exposed arms better now. His dark grey tank top was tight around his chest. Ruslana bit her lip and watched the red head suddenly stumbled backward, almost falling into the arms of an unsuspecting man. She looked horrified and the blonde-haired man was laughing to himself. Ruslana watched the woman wobble back into the bar with her face contorted, wondering what he had said to her.

When Ruslana looked back over at him, however, he was gone.

"What the hell?" she said quietly. She looked around anxiously. What a pity it would be if she never saw him again. He was so handsome. Caroline was looking around too.

Ruslana looked down and found a flyer on the table sitting in front of her. In curly red letters, Ruslana read out the name "Fangtasia." She stared at it a moment and then looked over her shoulder quickly. The handsome man was walking off into the club. Her stomach twisted up and her eyes widened. Did it mean he was a vampire? Ruslana looked around the busy terrace to see if he had placed any flyers on the other tables. He had not. This one was left specifically for her. Her heart rate was increasing. She had never met a vampire before. But to think of it, he was quite pale, and he scared that woman off for some reason.

Ruslana put the flyer into her purse, grabbed Caroline by the wrist, and pulled her out of the chair.

"Whoa, what's the deal?" Caroline asked as Ruslana led her back inside.

"We are leaving!" Ruslana said, pushing past dancers.

"Why? Are we following that hunk?" she asked with sudden excitement.

"Absolutely not!" Ruslana said, running out to Caroline's car. Caroline looked horribly confused. She yanked her wrist out of Ruslana's hand and stopped in the middle of the parking lot.

"What is with you?" she asked, "you are being weird."

"I will explain in the car," Ruslana said, looking around. Caroline didn't move. "Please!" Ruslana begged.

"Okay, okay" Caroline answered finally, rather annoyed. She unlocked the car and Ruslana rushed to the car door. She squeezed past a shiny silver Audi to get in. She shut the door quickly and locked it. Leaning back in the seat, she sighed.

"Drive," she demanded.

"Liv!" Caroline said, "I am not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on. Did I miss something here?"

Ruslana pulled out the flyer and slapped it into Caroline's hand. She looked down at it, raising her eyebrows. "Where did you get this?" She asked.

"Why don't you ask that hunky blonde guy?" Ruslana answered.

"So he gave it to you. I guess it means he is into vampires," Caroline said.

"Or," Ruslana began, "It means he _is _one."

Caroline's eyebrows were raised again, "Oooh."

"Yeah, oh!" Ruslana said, "And he gave it to _me. _No one else had one."

"Well, then that means he is interested," Caroline said, "What is so bad about that?"

"Its _bad _because I am his kind's food!" Ruslana said.

"Well I hear that vampires are amazing in bed," she said smiling.

"I could care less! I value my life," Ruslana said with a glare, "Please take me home!"

"Gees, if you insist," Caroline said, "You are such a damn party pooper!"

Caroline drove home as quickly as she could. Ruslana was feeling cold and her nerves were frayed. She was very anxious to get home.

"I am sorry, Caroline. That just really freaked me out," Ruslana said after a little while.

"It's alright, but I think you should be a little more open minded about that guy. You don't come across a man like that every day and on top of it all, he wanted you," she answered, watching to road attentively. Ruslana had to admit that she didn't hate the idea of that beautiful vamp wanting her, but she was still fearful.

"I don't know," Ruslana said as Caroline pulled in front of her old Victorian style house.

"Maybe you should just think on it. I will go to Fangtasia with you sometime if you want," she offered.

Ruslana laughed, "No, thank you."

She stepped out of the car. Pete had heard them coming and he was barking loudly at the window. Ruslana thanked her for the night out and hopped up the steps. Caroline graciously waited until she was inside to drive away.

Ruslana locked the door behind her and leaned against the door. Pete hopped up and placed his paws on her shoulders, showering her with big dog kisses. She hugged him tight. She was still frightened and Pete made her feel better. He was a dog with very keen senses and she took some solace in the fact that if anything were in or around her house that he would be the first to know. He gave out a little whimper, sensing her anxiety.

He jumped down and followed Ruslana up the stairs. She flicked on her light and tossed her bag on the bed. She sat down and pulled off her high heels. Her toes were red from the straps. Pete jumped up on the bed next to her, sniffing around in her purse. Ruslana looked over at him. The flyer had fallen out onto the quilt, and it was what Pete was sniffing. Ruslana smoothed her hand across his head and said, "Good, boy. You recognize that vampire's smell."

She pulled the dress over her head and put it neatly on a hanger. After the trying night, Ruslana was in the mood for a hot bath. Walking into the bathroom, she brushed out her hair and tied it into a loose bun. Leaning over the claw-foot tub, she ran the hot water. Waiting for the tub to fill up, she washed her face and cleaned off her makeup. For a moment she stared at herself in the mirror.

Clicking on her Ipod to a Native American album, she thought it would be nice to open the window. The music was the kind one would hear in a spa. It was very relaxing. Ruslana walked over to the window and pushed it open.

The water had filled up by now, so she turned off the water. Steam was rising off of the surface of the water. After sliding off her underwear, Ruslana dipped her toe in and then gradually lowered her whole body into the hot water. She had to go slow, as she was not yet accustomed to the water. But when she was accustomed, she became quite relaxed.


	2. Something New

**2**

Eric Northman sat in his tall leather chair on the stage of the bar, looking at the glowing clock on the wall. He sighed with great annoyance. Twenty minutes ago he was supposed to meet with another vampire to talk business. Eric had no tolerance for a lack of punctuality.

He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. Shifting in it, he glanced over the crowd in the bar. He found the patrons quite amusing, what with their gothic makeup and skanky get-ups. Humans are so pathetic. All of them starved for attention. Eric only gave his attention to those he felt were deserving of it. Humans were rarely graced with even a single word from him. They were little more than food to him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eric saw Pam nod to him. Hank was pushing through the throng of patrons with his vampire companion, Gerald, in tow. They just arrived. Eric stood up and headed to the door leading to his office. Nearly everyone in the room followed him with their eyes. He had that effect on humans. He ignored them all as he so often did.

Pushing through the hallway door he caught a glimpse of many disappointed faces. Turning the corner, he entered his office. As he sat behind the desk in his other leather chair, Hank entered with Gerald. Pam followed shortly thereafter. She leaned against a file cabinet, arms folded across her pink bodice.

Hank sat in a chair across the desk from Eric and his fellow vampire stood in the corner, hands clasped in front of him.

"Can I get either of you a Tru Blood?" Pam asked. She had a way of demeaning those she spoke to without them knowing it.

"No," Hank answered in his thick southern accent, "But I _will _take something alive."

"Unfortunately that's not possible," Eric interrupted, "We have a reputation to uphold here." He was referring to the laws the bar was obligated to abide by. No feeding could take place on the premises, vampire bar or not.

Hank looked sorely disappointed, "Then we will have to dine together later this evening."

"I suppose we shall," Eric replied indifferently. As sheriff, it was his duty to be somewhat obliging. He paused a moment, "You are late."

"Am I?" Hank asked dismissively.

"I must stress that when I call upon you, that you come at the specific time you are asked," Eric said coldly.

Hank gave a snort of laughter, "Well what would you have been doing right about now, had I not come? Watching the sex-crazed humans wandering around your bar?"

Eric's face hardened. He leaned forward over his mahogany desk and said with great authority, "May I remind you, Hank, that I am seven hundred years your senior and Sheriff of Area Five and you must therefore show me the utmost respect."

Pam laughed to herself. Eric's voice was so icy that Hank recoiled into his chair, "Understood," he said tremulously.

"Good," Eric said with a grin, "Now, down to business. You are having a problem with humans in your town selling our blood." Pam left the room to tend to the bar.

"That's right," Frank replied.

"And you cannot deal with them on your own?" Eric asked.

"We can take care of the humans, just fine," Hank began quickly, "It is the suppliers we are having troubles with."

"Who are they?"

"It is a nest of vampires. There are at least four of them. Most are older than me. The oldest is six hundred years old, I believe. They are too powerful for us."

"So you need the strong hand of the Sheriff, is that right?"

"Yes," Hank said, "If you would be so kind."

"I will not be doing it out of kindness. It is my duty as Sheriff to bring those who wrong our kind to justice," Eric said flatly.

"Yes, Eric," Hank answered.

"Let me walk you through their punishment," Eric began.

It was nearly midnight before Hank, Eric, and the Gerald emerged from the office. Eric found Pam and told her that she would be looking after the bar for the rest of the night.

"Going to have some fun?" Pam asked.

"I wouldn't quite call it _fun,_" Eric replied, looking back at Hank. He was seeing him off out of politeness. He was keen to get rid of him.

She smiled, "I've got it covered."

"Good." Eric said. He signaled to Hank and they left without Gerald. Hank followed Eric around the back of the bar, where Eric's car was.

"I know a really great club nearby. I find a lot of meals there. The girls are pretty nuts about vampires there, " Hank said.

Eric was thoroughly annoyed by this vampire. "Amateur" he thought to himself. Eric definitely did not need to go bar hopping in order to find a good meal and a fuck. He could have anyone he wanted. In fact, he had had a meal not two hours ago. He unlocked his shiny silver Audi and the two got it. Eric turned the key in the ignition. He did enjoy the smooth rumble of the engine starting.

Hank looked around the vehicle and ran his hands along the smooth, black leather. "Impressive," he said.

"Fangtasia brings in a decent revenue," Eric said, nonchalantly.

"I can tell. Have you heard of the club called 'Jet'?" Hank asked.

"Yeah, I know it."

"Well let's head on down there."

"I must warn you, I have business to attend to at Fangtasia. I will not be able to stay very long." Eric lied, speeding out of the parking lot and into the direction of Jet. Within moments they had arrived.

They entered the club. Eric found the song that was playing terribly obnoxious. He scanned the dance floor, hoping to see a woman that might please him. There were plenty of sweaty, overweight people dancing along to the music. He grimaced. Hank was pathetic. There was nothing special about this place.

Eric headed over to a couch in the corner of the bar. At the sight of him, all the people sitting cleared out. He sat down and placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands in front of him. Hank followed him. He sat a couple of feet away, smart enough to know that Eric liked his space.

"God I love this place!" Hank said.

Exhaling slowly, Eric said, "Please _stop _trying to impress me."

Hank looked down, embarrassed. Eric no longer cared of Hank's feelings.

Eric began looking over the dance floor again. Most of the girls were homely. He noticed a skinny brunette in a bright blue dress moving her hips around. She was too thin for his taste. He watched her for a moment. She turned around so he could see her face. She was unsatisfactory. When the song changed, he watched her run off toward the bar.

Eric took notice of the girl the woman had been dancing with. She was a slender girl in a purple, one-shoulder dress. Her long, blonde hair flowed down her back. He followed the silky strands down to her buttocks. She had a round bottom, one that her dress accentuated nicely. It was short and tight around her hips and loosened towards the top. Her legs were long, not too thin, and toned. Her legs were very attractive, indeed. He became impatient, wanting to get a look at her face.

The woman was dancing nicely to the music and to Eric her movements seemed to happen in slow motion. He took in the way her hips moved and how her legs reacted. He felt his appetite growing. At last she had turned. He was surprised at how beautiful she was. Her features were smooth and defined. Her bright eyes glittered in the flashing lights and her lush lips shined. He could see her round breasts moving freely under her dress. She was astounding, easily the loveliest creature he had seen in perhaps a century. Maybe he underestimated Hank's taste in clubs, after all.

Hank noticed the look on Eric's face and turned to see what he was so interested in. Hank smiled at the sight of her.

"Delicious," he said.

Eric placed a hand out, signaling to Hank that he could not have her.

Looking disappointed he said, "She is almost too beautiful to feed on. Such a waste it would be."

"Indeed," Eric responded.

Hank took the hint that Eric had set his sights on her for himself. He frowned. "But damn, would I love to watch her scream." Hank said with a laugh.

Eric shot him a fearsome look. Hank apologized vehemently and said, "She's all yours, Sheriff," before walking off through the crowd. Eric was glad to be rid of him, having little tolerance for inferior vampires like Hank.

The brunette had returned with two cocktails and they both headed toward the terrace. Eric was out there before they made it, shooting across the bar. He slipped by everyone without being noticed. He sat himself on a bench directly across from the doors. He wanted to watch her. A moment later the two women walked out onto the terrace and took a seat at a table just to the left of the door.

She placed one long leg over the other. Her skin was a lovely glowing color. Leaning over the table, she moved her hair to one side, revealing her neck. Eric felt his fangs emerge at the sight of it. He hid them by keeping his lips closed. A drop of sweat rolled down her already glistening neck. She took a sip from her drink and Eric observed every gesture.

A cool breeze caused her hair to brush across her face. As he watched her eyes close in appreciation of it, he caught a waft of her scent. Her skin smelled surprisingly sweet and her hair smelled of roses. Eric closed his eyes too, taking in every aspect of her sweet and unique smell. He exhaled deeply, trying to contain his hunger. It was as if someone had lit a fire inside him, a fire her had not felt in many years. There was just something about this human.

He caught the human glance at him and look away quickly before a drunken redheaded woman fell into Eric's lap, interrupting his view. She was giggling. "Hey, there handsome!" she said, "Do you wanna dance?"

"No," he replied curtly, pushing her off his lap, being careful to control his strength. Although, he wanted very much to throw her through the glass door. She turned around and leaned over him so that her face was only inches away from his. Here eye-makeup was smudged and her breath reeked of alcohol.

"Come on, baby," she said, "Let me get you a drink!"

"I don't drink alcohol," he said, with an emphasis on the 'alcohol.'

"I'll let you take me home!" she said, giving him a wink.

"I don't think you'd like that," he replied.

"Oh, baby! Of course I would. And I would show you a good time!" she said, moving her hips from side to side. Eric flashed his fangs at her and she stumbled backward in surprise. Too drunk to scream, she looked horrified.

"I told you," Eric said. She turned and stumbled back inside. She wanted nothing to do with him. He began to laugh to himself.

He looked back over at the woman in the purple dress only to meet her gaze again. She looked away quickly again, whispering something to her friend. Eric held his gaze. She was as good as his. Hardly any human woman could resist him. This was something that annoyed Eric most of the time, but made it very easy for him to feed. He was hoping his irresistibility would help him in this situation. She was incredible, for a human.

But he wasn't sure he would make her his just yet. He figured he would make a game of it, first. Yes, that is what he would do. He might as well have some fun with it. Besides, if he got her so easily, he feared her appeal would wear off. The thought disappointed him.

He got up from the booth and was soon next to her. She had not noticed his shift. He saw her look over at where he had just been sitting. She looked around a bit, but could not see him. At that moment, he slipped her a flyer for Fangtasia. She looked down. He saw her stare at it before turning to look at him, but he was already on his way back into the club. He smiled to himself. Yes, he thought, this was going to be very interesting.

He watched the two women hurry out to the parking lot. He walked out onto the terrace to watch from there. After a moment he saw them walk over to a mustang. Smiling, he noted that they were parked next to his Audi. The car sat there a moment. He blocked out the noise from the terrace, closed his eyes, and concentrated on the mustang.

The woman in blue was encouraging the beautiful one, who he learned was called Liv, to not be so turned off about the fact that he was a vampire. He began to like the brunette a little more. He heard the engine rumble to a start and he opened his eyes. In less than a second he was in the trees on the corner where the bar sat. The mustang made a right and he followed it, hugging the tree line. There was nothing like the thrill of a chase for a vampire and so far Eric was enjoying himself very much. If he had a pulse, it would have been racing as he wove through the trees, following the blue mustang.

It was not long before the car pulled into a secluded looking driveway. Eric took care to memorize its location. The driveway opened up and revealed a rather large Victorian-looking house. It was painted a pale yellow with white trim. Such a house was not too common in Louisiana and it was well hidden.

Eric stopped behind a large oak, watching the car carefully. He heard the barking of a dog and his head snapped toward the window. The dog was barking in his direction. Eric scowled at the creature.

His human got out of the car and rushed up the stairs. Eric had to stop himself from launching himself at her then and there. She hurried and locked the door behind her and the mustang drove away. Moving over to the porch, he looked through the window.

The house looked more comfortable on the inside than on the outside. The home was clean and well furnished, but it was clearly done so by a woman. The colors were light and airy. Personally he found the place distasteful, but Pam would have liked it.

His eyes were pulled from the walls when Liv headed upstairs. He watched her hips swing as she went. Listening for where she was moving, he jumped onto the roof and stood on the edge. Now he was looking into her bedroom. The atmosphere there matched that of the rest of the house. Her curtains were a pale blue and her quilt had a design of a compass on it. The walls were a natural light green and photographs hung on the walls. The photographs were large, black and white. They were not photos of family or friends, but were more artistic.

The dog hopped onto the bed without noticing Eric's presence. It began to sniff at the flyer Eric had given to her. The girl looked over after pulling off her heals and said, "Good, boy. You remember that vampire's scent."

"Smart human," Eric said to himself. He wouldn't have pegged her for being that keen. He looked carefully with his sharp vampire eyes at her driver's license that was sticking out from her bag. Ruslana was her real name, as he found out. He liked it much better than her nickname. It sounded more vampiric. Her surname, Barnhardt, was Scandinavian. As a former Viking, he always liked those who had came from his part of the world, though things have changed a lot in a thousand years. Ruslana Barnhardt.

He noticed Ruslana pulling her dress over her shoulders. Her back to the window, Eric looked at her smooth, tan skin. His fangs were exposed again. Just in her white cotton panties, she walked into the bathroom. He could see somewhat into it from where he was. He heard the faucet of the tub being turned and she walked back over to the sink and washed her face after pulling her hair into a messy bun. She then walked out of his line of vision and he heard a window being pushed open. Listening for her to enter the water, he waited to move to the other window.

Lucky for him Ruslana was facing away from the window in the bathtub. Her bun had fallen loose and her long hair hung out of the back of the tub, almost brushing the floor. Her knees were sticking out of the water and her thin wrists were perched on the edges of the tub. The water rippled as she breathed.

Eric silently reached through the window and pulled a handful of her pretty hair up to his face, smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo. She took no notice. He smiled and headed home.


	3. Vampires Dynamite at Sex

**3**

Through blurred eyes, Ruslana looked at the morning sun shining through her blue curtains. Wondering why she was so close to the edge of the bed, she rolled over to see that Pete had taken up most of the space. Her movement stirred him and he began thumping his tail against the bed, happy to see that she was awake. She smoothed her hand over his head and kissed him on the nose.

On her nightstand she saw the Fangtasia flyer sitting there, looking oddly ominous. Ruslana wondered how a mere piece of paper could be that way. She remembered the blonde vampire and how he so stealthily slipped it to her. Uncomfortable with the memory, she flipped it face down so that the curly red letters were no longer staring at her. She noticed something scrawled on the back of it. Lifting herself higher off the sheets, she could see a dash and then, "Eric," written in black ink. The writing was surprisingly neat, but Ruslana could tell that it was written quickly and with a vigorous hand.

"Eric," she said aloud, "Vampire Eric." She sat thinking for a while. In fact, she was thinking so deeply that her buzz of her alarm clock startled her. Annoyed, she slapped the "off" button.

She could see her hair from where she sat. It looked terrible. The strands were all separated and scrunched up. That was the last time she was going to bed with her hair wet. She pushed the covers off her legs and went into the bathroom to wet her hair. When walking over to her vanity, she noticed Pete sitting up. She plopped herself down on the chair and hoping to get her mind off of Eric the vampire, she turned her Ipod Touch onto shuffle.

The song "Blue Lips," by Regina Spektor began to play. Yes, Ruslana thought, something upbeat. As she began to comb the tangles out of her wet hair, she heard the line,

_"Blue lips, blue veins, the color of our planet from far, far way."_

"Of course! Nothing is ever _that _easy for me," she said aloud and pressed the 'next' button. She didn't quite care for what the next song would be, because she was quick to start the hairdryer.

By the time she was done drying her long hair, "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon, which happened to be in her Top 5 list of rock bands. Although, she did feel that God was messing with her because Ruslana had been thinking about what Caroline said about vampires being excellent in bed. Sex on fire…

"Goddamn Ipod," she said. Stripping off her t-shirt, she put on a pale pink bra and applied deodorant. She pulled on a pair of dark-washed jeans that were torn at the heels. She then pulled a punk pinstriped button down shirt over her pretty shoulders and fastened the buttons. She pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. The ponytail reached the middle of her back. Not bothering to put of makeup, she headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Eager to become distracted, Ruslana had a quick bowl of cereal before slipping on her sneakers and rushing out the door with Pete on his leash. Pete hopped around joyously, knowing he was headed to Pelican Stables for the day. It was a good fifteen minutes walk to the bus station down the road from her house. A few months ago she crashed her white 1999 Honda Civic and just never replaced it. She got some money from her insurance company but she was saving for a newer and better car. So for now her main form of transportation was the bus.

She was at the stables within the hour. No one else had arrived. Ruslana walked quickly into the office and put herself to work right away, trying her best to think of _anything _else but the vampire. She swept the inside of the stables, cleaned the bathrooms, and filed documents in the office. By the time she had finished, Charlotte the stable hand was out and about feeding all the horses.

Ruslana went to bid good morning to Totem. Her nose was buried in the hay and oats Charlotte had just set out for him. Ruslana got a tack bucket from the tack room and decided to groom him. She picked up a curry brush and began brushing Totem in circular motions. Her nose remained in the hay.

"You wouldn't fraternize with vampires either, would you?" Ruslana asked her. Totem's only response was a quick flick of her tail. Ruslana sighed. "I can't get that damn vampire out of my head!" She slid around the other side of Totem to brush her other side.

After grooming Totem thoroughly she went back to the tack room to get the saddle. Along the way she bumped into Charlotte carrying what was left of a bag of feed.

"Mornin'," Charlotte said cheerfully.

"Hey, Charlotte," Ruslana replied.

Setting the feed at her feet, she said, "You look a little distracted."

"Well, I am a little bit."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Oh, I don't know. I am not sure it would really interest you."

"Of course I will be interested! When am I not?" Charlotte asked.

She was right. Charlotte was always interested. "Come into the office with me, will you?"

"Sure!" she answered, setting the feed aside. A moment later they were both in the office of the stables. Ruslana was leaning back in the desk chair while Charlotte sat in one on the other side of the desk. "So what's the deal?" she asked.

"Well, I was curious to see what you knew about vampires." Ruslana said uneasily.

Charlotte's mouth grew into a sly smile and asked, "Vampires, huh?" She giggled, clearly interested in the topic, "What do you wanna know?"

"I guess just what you know," Ruslana answered.

"Well first and foremost, sex with a vampire is the best you're ever gonna have," Charlotte began.

Ruslana sighed, "I've heard."

"But that don't mean they ain't scary as hell. Man, can they be scary," Charlotte said, looking down.

"You ever been with one?" Ruslana asked, already knowing the answer.

"A couple times. Same one. It's the biting that I couldn't get used to. I guess I don't much like being treated like a meal."

"I don't blame you," Ruslana paused, "Do you think you would ever do it again. You know, with a vampire?"

Charlotte was silent for a moment, but soon answered, "Yeah. I mean, if its one that don't scare me as much. There _are _the friendlier kinds. I just never met one. But I'm only human, and humans need some physical attention. So when the day comes that I could really use somebody, I'll go looking."

"Do you ever get scared over that other vampire you were with?" Ruslana asked.

"Sometimes, but I figure I ain't special enough in this world to be the object of a vampire's desires." Charlotte said.

"Yeah right, Charlotte," Ruslana said. She always did admire her bone structure and curves. "You're plenty beautiful."

With a smile, Charlotte thanked her.

"What else do you know about them?" Ruslana implored.

"Well of course they can only survive at night. Even if they're protected from the sun during the day, if they don't rest then they could get weak."

"Hmm," Ruslana said as she pondered, "What about all that other shit about crosses, silver and garlic?"

"They're highly allergic to silver, but it won't necessarily kill them. I'm pretty sure the garlic is all just a bunch of bullshit. The crucifixes are definitely bullshit. They can set foot on holy ground whenever they like," Charlotte spouted. She paused, "Something _very _useful to know, though, is that they can't enter your home. That is, not unless you invite them in. And if you don't want them there anymore you can ask them to leave. For some reason, they have to leave."

"Wow. I daresay that _is _useful information," Ruslana replied. This was very interesting, indeed.

"Another more obvious thing about vampires is that they're stronger and faster than anything that walks this earth. At least, anything we _know _about," Charlotte said, looking disturbed by her own realization.

"Well that's a terrible thought," Ruslana said, "At this point it's hard to imagine anything scarier or more dangerous than a vampire."

"Damn," Charlotte said, "So why do you ask?"

Ruslana hesitated. "Um, I met one the other day at Jet when I was with my friend."

"Really? You thinking about going on a date?" Charlotte asked.

Ruslana laughed and asked, "A date?" doubted very much that vampires liked to exchange pleasantries over a dinner table that only one person would be eating at.

"You know what I mean!" Charlotte said. After a second her sly expression returned and she asked, "Was he hot?"

Exhaling loudly, "He was sweltering."

"Ooo! Tell me, tell me. What did he look like?" Charlotte asked excitedly.

"Really tall, big, blonde…beautiful,"

"Wait," Charlotte said, "Did he have a claw-thingy necklace?"

"How did you know that? Do you know him?" Ruslana asked.

"You met Eric?"

"Yeah, that's him. How –?" Ruslana began.

"He _owns _Fangtasia! He is likely the most man, well vampire, that walks this earth"

"That would explain a lot," Ruslana said, "He gave me a flyer for that place last night."

"You have to go," Charlotte said.

"What?"

"Liv, he invited you himself! Do you know how many women would want to be you right now?"

"I guess I don't.]

"Well, _I _want to be you right now, I can tell you that much. Come on, Liv. I will go with you if you want," Charlotte offered.

"I'm gonna have to think about it," Ruslana said, not willing to give up and go just like that.

"What's to think about?" Charlotte asked, "He's gorgeous and remember about the whole 'vampires are dynamite at sex' thing?"

"There is more to it than just _that. _There should be, at least." Ruslana said.

"Well, you get back to me on that," Charlotte said with a big smile, "I gotta go call some folks. They'll be so jealous of you!"

"Um, do you have to?" Ruslana asked, not really wanting the whole world to know that she is going to see a vampire at Fangtasia.

"Of course I do!" Charlotte replied, hopping out of the office and down the barn.

"God damn," Ruslana said after Charlotte had long gone. She thought about what Charlotte told her. Did every girl in Shreveport _really _wish Eric had an interest in her? People had to see something in vampires for them all to go crazy over them. Or maybe it was just about the sex. "That's just sad," she said aloud to herself.


	4. Fraternizing with a Vampire?

**4 **

Ruslana got home around 9 o'clock and pulled out her laptop to get onto Fangtasia's website. "Might as well know more about the place," she thought to herself, pulling up the page.

In the search engine she typed in 'Fangtasia'. Pete hopped up on the couch next to her. She flicked on the Television to the local news, and looked back at her computer to see the search results. She found the homepage for the bar and clicked.

An intro pulled up on the screen. A black background the same curly scarlet letters in the corner. It was loading. Ruslana waited. A comic book style vampire appeared on the screen, fangs bared and blood dripping from his mouth. She heard a hissing noise and the vampire's mouth moved similar to that of a ventriloquist dummy, saying in a Transylvanian accent before cackling, "Enter if you dare!"

Ruslana laughed as the comic book vampire vanished and the home screen flew up. The theme of the introduction ran into the home screen. The tabs read, Location, Merchandise, Your Vampires, Tru Blood, Games, and Feeding Policy. Ruslana grimaced at the last tab.

She decided to click 'Your Vampires' first. More tabs arose, labeled Owners, Frequents, and Entertainers. Clicking on 'Owners,' Ruslana saw a picture of a pretty, but also frightening blonde-haired woman. Her name was Pam. No last name apparently. Next to her picture was Eric, looking sinister and with longer hair than Ruslana remembered. Next to Eric was a fat Asian vampire called Chow.

She chose to click Eric first. After all, he was the reason she was even on the website. A small summary appeared under his photo. It read,

_A former Viking, the irresistible Eric Northman is the primary owner of Fangtasia. You will frequently see Eric sitting on the Fangtasia's stage in his leather throne. He is notorious at Fangtasia for being the big scary hunk. Do not call him by this name. He is to be referred to as Mr. Northman._

_Look, but don't touch. Eric does not accept photographs and does not sign autographs. Approach him carefully. He bites. _

"A Viking?" Ruslana said aloud, "Hot damn, he's old! I wonder if that's true." After pondering that for a moment, she clicked on Pam's image.

_Pam often serves as bouncer at Fangtasia and is Eric's right-hand vampire. She is co-owner to the bar. Known to wear black patent corsets and skyscraper-like heels, Pam is reason why many return to Fangtasia. Don't be fooled by the pretty face, one would not want to get on her bad side. _

Ruslana decided she cared little about the fat Asian vampire Chow, and skipped him. She soon learned that certain vampires frequented the bar. They were likely paid to do so. After all, Fangtasia was designed for tourists who want to get up close and personal with a vampire. It reminded Ruslana of a petting zoo.

She spent the next half hour scanning over the merchandise and games before reaching the 'Feeding Policy' tab. She was scared to click it. After a minute or two she built up the courage and clicked. It read,

_A vampire is never, under any circumstances, allowed to feed off of a human while at Fangtasia. Louisiana law requires it this way. Vampires may only feed by drinking Tru Blood. Drinking from humans may ONLY take place in private homes. _

"Well, that's a relief!"Ruslana said, petting Pete who was still snuggled up beside her.

A banging at her front door abruptly interrupted her surfing.

"What the hell?" she said, looking across the room at the clock. It was 10 o'clock at night. The pounding continued. "I'm coming!" she yelled.

Outside on the side of the house stood the Vampire Eric. His presence was unknown, once again, to Ruslana. He could see her on the couch with her laptop on her thighs. He could see clearly that she was looking on the Fangtasia website. Laughing to himself, he watched her get up and head to the door after someone wrapped loudly against it.

She peaked out the window before opening the front door. A man was standing in the doorway anxiously. Ruslana appeared to know him.

"What's this I hear about you and a vampire?" he asked bluntly, looking all disheveled with his uniform shirt un-tucked and a pant led stuck on the tongue of his boot.

"Jesus Christ, how many people did Charlotte have to call?" Ruslana said, looking annoyed.

"So its true?" the man asked, pushing past her and walking into the living room. Ruslana followed him, watching as he looked around the room.

"Is what true? And what the hell are you looking for?" Ruslana asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Is it true you been fraternizing with this vampire? Where is he?" the man asked, continuing to look around with a scowl on his face.

"He ain't here. And I am _not _fraternizing with anyone. You should be able to tell what's gossip and what's fact."

_We'll see about that, _Eric thought.

"But you do know one?" tha man persisted.

"I wasn't even introduced to him. All I know is his name is Eric and he gave me a flyer for Fangtasia,"

"Fangtasia?" he asked loudly, throwing his hands in the air, "Aw, hell. My baby sister is a god damn fangbanger!"

So this man was Ruslana's older, and clearly controlling brother. Eric thought about that for a moment.

"Shut up, Ethan. You don't know what you're talking about. I only _met _that vampire yesterday. He was the _only _vampire I ever met, too. Aaaand I have absolutely NOT banged a fanger!" Ruslana retorted sharply.

Ethan fell back onto the couch, still looking horribly upset. He was silent, placing his hands over his face.

"Even if I_ had_ slept with a vampire, it ain't any of your business! I am twenty-two years old. That means I am a _grown_ woman. I make my own decisions and you don't have a say in any of it." Ruslana added, becoming riled. This made Eric smile.

"Alright, alright. Stop your yelling," Ethan said finally, waving a hand at her. "I don't want you to get involved with their kind."

"I can take care of myself," Ruslana said.

"No! You ain't got no idea the shit I've seen involving vampires. They _enslave _people, Rus." He urged. Eric was beginning to see this Ethan as more of a threat. He wasn't _just _an overbearing older brother of his future lover. He was a cop who had experience dealing with vampires. He knew more than Eric wanted Ruslana to know at this point.

"Well they aren't getting away with it, are they?" Ruslana asked.

"Some do, some don't. Not all policemen are willing to stand up to a vampire. Vampires don't like being told what to do, and they _especially _don't like being told what to do by humans."

"What do you mean _enslave_ people, anyway?"

"I _mean, _that they glamour people and keep them trapped in a house or a room _just _for feeding and fucking!" He said.

Ruslana grimaced, "What happened to the mainstreaming movement?"

"God knows! Only a very small percentage of those folks, if you can call them folks, mainstream. The mainstreaming movement is just a political ploy. It is an excuse to justify their existence. That they," Ethan threw up quotation marks with his fingers, "don't have to feed on people."

Now Eric _really _didn't like this human cop. Ruslana looked frightened. Ethan was ruining his chances of ensnaring Ruslana by her own will.

"They are more frightening than you can imagine." Ethan said

"Clearly," Ruslana answered.

"I'm sorry, Rus. I didn't mean to frighten you, but this _is _stuff that you should know. Trust me, you do not want to get involved with a vampire," Ethan said as he got up from the couch. He gave Ruslana a hug before heading back outside to his squad car. Eric considered killing that cop right then and there, but he realized that if he did, then he would _have _to glamour Ruslana into being his lover. He preferred something more real from Ruslana, so he swallowed the urge.

He looked back over to Ruslana as she was shutting the door. The dog was sitting patiently in the doorway to he living room. She gave him a pat on the head, when the phone rang. The beast let out a howl and Ruslana let out an annoyed, "What now?!"

She reached down to the side-table to pick up the receiver. Eric could tell she was straining to be polite when she said, "Hello?"

Eric shifted his head so he could hear the other person on the other end of the phone. He heard a woman say, "Ruslana?"

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Have you got that vamp at your house?"

"Charlotte I DO NOT have the vamp at my house!" Ruslana shouted. Eric laughed. _But I am, _he thought. Luckily the dog had yet to catch his scent.

"Jesus, I was just asking! Its just so exciting!" he heard Charlotte reply.

"Not for me! The whole town will think I am a fangbanger, now"

"Come on, you can't tell me you aren't curious," Charlotte replied. Ruslana paused for a moment. Eric smiled.

"Of course I am, but this is a serious matter. Vampires can't be what people make them out to be. They feed on us. Who's to say he won't kill me?" 

"Some are nice," Charlotte said slowly.

"Nice, huh?" Ruslana said, "Listen, I would appreciate it if you would stop telling everyone what I told you. It's causing me a lot of trouble."

"I will do my best," Charlotte answered.

"Please," Ruslana said, before hanging up the phone.


End file.
